A Lovely Nightmare
by Harley's Little Harlequin
Summary: A little short about a dream Nellie has after a long day of making corpuses into pies and getting her feelings slashed and tossed to the side by the dark but handsome barber that lived above her shop. My first Sweenett please review
1. Chapter 1

A Lovely Nightmare.

"Mummy!"

The small bell like voice rang out over the sound of the normal afternoon bustle of Nellie's Meatpie Emporium as customers chatted with each other as they ate their pies and drank their drinks. Nellie paused in her walking turning carefully on her heel as not to drop the four plates she was carrying on her arms and smiled down at the small girl before her. The child could have been something out of a lovely painting with her pale ivory skin, wide brown eyes and a head of untamable dark red curls that hunt down well past the 4 year old's shoulders, the red velvet dress she wore made her look like a smaller version of her mother minus the plates she was balancing still.

"What is it darlin'?"

The girl's smile widened and she held out her hand reviling a small daisy picked from the bunch growing from the wooden window boxes of the shop. Nellie smiled her brown eyes soft as she looked over the flower.

"It's beautiful pet why don't you go show Daddy?"

The girl nodded and turned to look through the crowd to the stairs leading up to the barber shop where Sweeney was holding the door for an older gentleman that was leaving before he stood on the balcony scanning the crowd a smile gracing his face as he seen the small girl climbing the stairs. Nellie smiled more to herself than the pair of older women she was setting to of the plates in front of.

"She really is an adorable child Nellie such a happy one to."

Nellie looked from Toby, whom she was telling to refill one man's ale glass, back to the older woman.

"Thank you Mrs. Harris, how is your Abigail doing?"

"Oh much better now that she's married to Andrew, I thought for sure when you turned him down that boy would just fall apart."

She shook her head and Nellie gave a slight eye roll, Andrew had been one of the young men to court her before Albert had asked for her hand.

"I hear he's making a name for himself now though in the banking business so maybe it was for the better, now if you gals will excuse me."

She offered a final smile before walking to a different table setting the final two plates down.

"Toby flip the sign that's the lot for today."

Toby nodded and did as told before returning to wiping down the empty tables while Nellie walked her way around collecting the payment from each ones that were leaving. She glanced up at the balcony and smiled seeing Sweeney listening to the little girl sitting on the railing in front of him a soft smile locked on his lips.

4 years of it and she still couldn't get over the overwhelming joy she felt when ever she seen Sweeney acting so light hearted with her beautiful little Alisa, no their beautiful little Alisa. Over the past four years Sweeney had changed almost completely from a man hard set on his revenge to a loving father to little Alisa Eloise Todd. Her thoughts were interrupted by Toby calling to her from the door of the shop saying something about being out of a few things for tomorrow.

"I'll go to the market soon Toby why don't you run along and clean up before dinner."

He smiled and disappeared back inside as Nellie made her way up the wooden stairs and to Alisa's side leaning on her forearms looking at the child as she finished telling her father about some made up adventure she'd had while he smiled twisting the stem of the daisy in his finger tips seeming to be truly interested in her words. Alisa finished her story and realized her mother was beside her and giggled happily.

"Have you been up 'ere talking daddy's ear off Ali?"

The girl looked from her to her father blushing faintly her lower lip sticking out in a pouting matter as she moved closer to Sweeney making Nellie chuckle and straiten up to look down at Fleet Street bellow them. Under the amber sky the entire city looked like a silhouetted painting and just past the farthest houses the port filled with ships was like a pool of liquid amber.

"Mrs. Lovett..."

The voice sounded far away at first making her look around confused.

"Mrs. Lovett."

The voice grew louder as it echoed around her until finally the beautiful illusion was broken and fell away as Nellie opened her eyes to find herself in her bedroom looking at one of the walls that was dimly lit by the pale grey sky outside the window. She sat up rubbing her eyes feeling more than a little angry that she had been woken from her wonderful dream. She swing her legs around the side of the bed stretching wondering if her mind had just produced the voice calling her name to wake her until a harsh wrapping came on her door.

"Bloody women open the door!"

She jumped at first but then signed hearing the annoyed voice of Sweeney Todd. She got to her feet pulling on a well used dark purple dressing gown before she opened the door hiding a yawn behind her hand quickly.

"Good mornin' to you to Mr. T what all the fussin' about?"

Mr. Todd looked down at the baker his black eyes softening ever so slightly as they met with her's before he looked away to the doors of the pie shop.

"You have customers waiting..."

She fallowed his gaze and seen the small line of new regulars outside but her attention stayed mostly on the man before her. She had the feeling there was something more he wanted to say to her but she ignored it closing the door and quickly dressing herself and fixing her hair. She hadn't expected him to still be standing at her door when she opened it again but there he stood his eyes looking past her to her room before returning to her brown eyes.

"What were you doing in there?"

Nellie felt her cheeks warm as she brushed past him but allowed herself an internal smile as his foot steps fallowed.

"Sleepin' what makes you ask?"

She glanced at him over her shoulder as she removed the key to the shops door from the small table beside the couch. She smirked seeing him become slightly flustered avoiding her eyes.

"Sounded like you were talking to someone, thought you'd gone mad finally."

She giggled making him look at her in what she guessed was as close to confusion as they entered the kitchen of her shop and she unlocked the door.

"Not just yet my love I was only havein' a rather lovely nightmare."

She turned her attention to her costumers leaving the barber to leave to play his own trade in the parlor above. She sighed to herself moving to get the orders of the couple now sitting at the table closest to the door leading to the wooden stairs that led to the room above though she wasn't quite listening as her mind wondered to the man to was most likely pacing as he watched the people outside before she sighed again.

'Oh if only you knew you made my nightmare lovely Mr. T.'


	2. Chapter 2 (bonus chapter)

A/N: Well I wanted to make A lovely Nightmare a one shot but then I came up with a cute little sequel idea, dreams that go together (having one then going to sleep the next night and continuing right where the last left off) are so rare but so sweet we want to keep them close I thought maybe Nellie deserved her own little bitter sweet continuation dream. Please enjoy and review!

Catching Fireflies by Moon Light (bonus chapter!)

Nellie laid down in her bed closing her eyes with a heavy sigh, it had been a long day cleaning up after the Demon Barber of Fleet Street but it meant she'd have meat to keep her customers happy when she opened the shop the next day. Her back ached and her knees were screaming from going up and down the stairs all day thankfully Toby had been able to help her with the dinner rush.

She forced her shoes off and untied her corset slipping it off but feeling much to tired to change her dress she laid back against her pillows and with in minutes was asleep the every night sound of the barber pacing above her fading away. A soft breeze washed over her making her open her eyes to find she was now sitting on a porch some where'd she'd never seen before, the breeze was thick with the sweet scent of the ocean as it blew through her hair again making her inhale deeply with a smile before looking around her again.

Just down the steps of the porch she could see the forms of Alisa and Sweeney on the beach. Alisa was running around with what looked like an empty jam jar chasing little flashing yellow lights, with a smile she realized she was chasing fireflies trying to catch them. She watched as Alisa caught one finally and showed Sweeney who knelt down and now that he was Nellie felt her heart leap into her throat, he was holding an infant in his arms maybe only a few months old as it looked at the blinking yellow dots in the jam jar with dark eyes before it began crying making Sweeney give a small smile and kiss Alisa's forehead saying something to her before he stood and walked to her carefully handing over the baby who calmed at once looking up at her with shining black eyes making a smile tug at the corners of her mouth.

"Did you want to catch fireflies to Toby?"

The words left her lips as if she knew exactly who the small boy in her arms was as he babbled at her before reaching for a passing firefly with his pudgy little hands making her smile. Something tickled the back of her mind, Toby where was he why wasn't he with them? As she watched Sweeney return to their daughter and lift her so she could reach the fireflies that were to high for her the knowledge that Toby was no longer with them filled her head like a bad memory. He had been trying to keep an adventurous Alisa out of the street while she played but when he looked away for a second the girl had wondered into the street after a butterfly unaware of the fast approaching carriage. Acting as fast as he could Toby dashed into the street and pushed the girl out of harms way but was caught by the carriage himself.

Nellie shook her head making it stop, she didn't want to see more so instead she focused her attention on the baby in her arms cooing softly to him making him giggle and smile. After a little while she heard Alisa calling for her to come out and catch fireflies to, she smiled and went to her husband's side letting him take Toby from her arms before she went to Alisa getting a proper look at her she now seen she was definitely older than before, maybe 6 or 7 now but her hair hadn't changed at all still the same mess of dark curls that hunt down her back, if Nellie was being true she'd say the girl looked more like her then before.

She smiled as Alisa lifted her hand from the jar and released all the fireflies she had caught and began chasing them again bringing them back cupped in her little hands to show her mother. The fireflies catching continued for another hour at least until Alisa yawned widely and rubbed her eyes leaning into her father's side until he picked her up kissing her head heading inside pausing in the door way for Nellie to fallow.

"You go ahead and put her to bed love I'm going to stay here for a bit."

Sweeney looked like he wanted to protest but it soon melted as he met her eyes and he went inside talking to their daughter as she drifted in and out of sleep. Nellie sighed looking up at the stars before her gaze shifted to the boy in her arms, looked almost exactly like his father, black hair, black eyes like jewels, and his skin was a pale milky ivory. She smiled kissing his head getting a giggle from him before he tried reaching for the stars making her chuckle.

"My sweet boy."

She kissed his cheek making him giggle again before he gave a small yawn and his eyes fluttered closed, smiling she walked into the house looking around her. She made her way to a room in the hall and carefully set Toby in his crib and just watched him sleep, she didn't even hear the door shift or footsteps when suddenly there were arms around her making her jump and muffle a yelp in her hand before she looked behind her finding Sweeney smirking at her, even in a dream his beauty made her weak in the knees so she was thankful when he led her from the room to one down the hall opening the door for her.

Moments later found her in a nighty curled up under the blankets wrapped securely in Sweeney's arms his breathing rhythmic in sleep just as it had been for the last half an hour but she couldn't bring herself to sleep, she didn't want to, but the warmth of her husband's arms was making her feel safe and it was growing harder to keep her eyes open until finally she let herself fall asleep. As she was descending into a deep sleep Nellie felt the arms around her tighten making her open her eyes but she had to blink multiple times to make sure she was seeing things right.

Laying in her bed beside her his face light dimly by the glow of a full moon outside as he slept holding her close to him was Sweeney Todd. She carefully pinched herself on the arm to make sure she wasnt still dreaming and feeling the pain at once she felt a blush creep into her cheeks and butterflies in her stomach but she didn't dare move in fear of waking him. She tried to calm her heart worried it would beat so loud hear it and settled for looking over his features, he looked like a lot more peaceful and at ease beside her making her cheeks flush deeper as she moved her hand up and lightly ran her finger tips over his strong jaw and over his lips feeling her heart speed up at the thought of kissing them.

She bit her lip taking her hand back before cuddling closer smiling to herself as his arms tightened in response. She inched closer until there was only a little distance between their lips when she froze feeling his lips meet her's without her even moving, she looked up and found his dark eyes looking at her and as he broke the kiss the corner of his mouth twitched in a smile making her blink again eyes wide as she looked at him.

"M-Mr. T?"

"Yes Mrs. Lovett?"

She fumbled with her words until she felt his hand cup her cheek gently making her melt into his touch, never had he touched her so tenderly even when they had danced about her shop discussing making people into pies his hold was firm and rough nothing like this. She lost all track of her thoughts as his thumb lightly stroked her cheek completely forgetting she was going to ask him something. As if reading her past thought he looked into her eyes his hand moving from her cheek back to her waist.

"You were crying in your sleep, scream more like, when I came in you were saying something about Toby. I tried waking you but you only opened your eyes long enough to grip my sleeve and whimper for me not to leave you..."

Now it was oddly his turn to go red in the cheeks but his arms still held her to him making her smile no matter how she tried to hide it and before she could stop herself she let a giggle bubble over her lips making him look at her completely aghast.

"What is so funny?!"

He started to pull away from her clearly annoyed now but she put her hand to his cheek making him freeze where he was half out of his place of holding her.

"The fact that the Demon Barber of Fleet Street has human feelings hidden inside, always figured you did Mr. T"

Sweeney looked at the women in his arms his mind was whirling at her, how she could even stand being around him much less be able to hold love for him. A bloody wonder she was, a bloody wonder indeed but deep down inside he didn't really mind it in fact he drew a form of contempt from being with her like this. He settled back down beside her holding her properly watching as her fingers lightly traced patterns on his chest.

"You stayed because I wanted you to?"

He looked down at her but found her eyes closed and she was slowly drifting to sleep nestled against him a smile on her lips. He felt his cheeks cool but his heart raced as he leaned down and placed a feather light kiss on her head.

"Yes Nellie, I stayed because you wanted me to if only you knew just how much you can make me feel feelings I haven't felt for 15 years you are a bloody wonder...my bloody wonder."

He wasn't sure but Sweeney could have sworn he seen the smile on Nellie's face grow before he allowed himself to fall into what had to be the most peaceful sleep in a very long time.


End file.
